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Tim Petit wanted to surprise his wife with something special. Instead, he handed her a $640 mistake. The Rhode Island man bought a limited-edition, Trump-branded watch as a gift for Melanie, expecting a polished collector’s piece. What she unwrapped read nothing like the name on the box. One letter had vanished from the watch face, and it changed everything the timepiece was supposed to represent.
“One of 250” Made It Feel Worth the Price
Petit found the watch through GetTrumpWatches.com after hearing Donald Trump’s own voice in a video advertisement declaring, “It’s Trump time.” The pink “Inauguration First Lady” model was marketed as scarce, with only 250 ever produced. That exclusivity, paired with the presidential endorsement, convinced him to spend $640 on what he believed would become a genuine collector’s item for his wife.
Melanie Opens the Box and Spots the Error Instantly
When Melanie unwrapped her gift, she didn’t need a second look. The watch face was supposed to spell “TRUMP” in bold letters across the dial. Instead, the T had vanished entirely, leaving a word no luxury brand would ever intend to sell. The remaining letters spelled “RUMP,” turning a presidential keepsake into an unintentional punchline.
Tim Demands to Know How Quality Control Missed It
Tim expected more from a product tied to the office of the presidency. “We expected that it would have the integrity of the president of the United States,” he told NBC 10 News. Melanie pressed further, asking how a company could ship a defective product without anyone catching the mistake first. Their frustration wasn’t just about a typo. It was about what that typo implied.
Other Buyers Describe Their Own Watch Company Nightmares
The Petits weren’t alone in their disappointment. Customer reviews painted a pattern of unmet promises from the same retailer. One shopper sarcastically thanked the company for a watch that never arrived, joking about customer service that seemed to exist nowhere at all. Another buyer said they’d ordered expecting American craftsmanship and received a product manufactured overseas instead, months after threatening a payment dispute.
An Apology Request Goes Unanswered for Days
Tim reached out directly to the company, asking for a proper correction and an apology for upsetting his wife enough to bring her to tears. The response was silence. Days passed without meaningful communication, leaving the couple stuck with a watch that misspelled the very name it was built to honor, and no clear path toward getting it fixed.
A News Camera Gets the Reply the Petits Couldn’t
Frustrated by the standstill, the couple turned to local station WJAR, NBC’s Channel 10, and shared their story on camera. Once the station reached out to the company, the silence broke almost immediately, even though producers say they themselves never heard back directly. The company apologized to the Petits and offered a replacement watch along with $800 in credit for the trouble.
The $800 “Apology” Came With a Catch Attached
On paper, $800 sounded like more than fair compensation for a $640 purchase. But the credit wasn’t cash, and it couldn’t be refunded or spent anywhere else. It only applied toward another purchase from the same company that had shipped the flawed watch in the first place. At the time, comparable women’s watches were priced at $899, meaning the couple would still owe $99 out of pocket.
Critics Tie the Mishap to a Pattern of Trump Merchandise
The misspelled watch became a flashpoint for broader criticism. One reviewer accused the brand of profiting off supporters through a string of ventures, including the Trump family’s cryptocurrency project, branded sneakers, and a special edition Bible. Others pointed to past merchandise controversies, including a gold Trump-branded phone that reportedly drew hundreds of thousands of buyers before reports surfaced questioning whether the device ever actually existed as advertised.
The Couple Got Their Watch Back. The Typo Might Outlast It.
GetTrumpWatches.com eventually sent the Petits a corrected watch, properly spelling “TRUMP” across the face. The couple said they were grateful for how quickly the news station’s involvement moved things along, and Melanie thanked the outlet for taking their story seriously. The irony didn’t escape observers, though: some now argue the flawed “RUMP” watch, not the corrected version, may end up the more valuable collector’s item of the two.